The latest, because published today, observation on this issue is by Giuseppina Carlotta Cianferoni of the Archaeological Heritage of Tuscany (who is not, BTW, Tanaquil) in "Treasures from Tuscany: the Etruscan Legacy", the catalogue of a new archaeological exhibition at National Museums of Scotland published by NMS Enterprises (ISBN 1 901663 90 6).

In the course of her article on "Aspects of Etruscan Religion", she says:

"Among their contemporaries, and especially the Romans, the Etruscans were known not only for their respect for divine guidance, but also for their skill in interpreting this guidance through highly developed techniques of divination. . . . The Etruscan priests concerned with divination, the 'haruspices', were so highly respected that the Romans were willing to consult them at moments of crisis."